When I came to New York, I had delusions of painting that I thought I could fulfill. I used to draw and was more of a visual artist than I am now. I also gravitated towards other art forms. I think that narrative urge has stayed with me.
So even at that age of five to ten, I was constructing narratives, albeit only for my own amusement, trying to do the comedic thing, the reportage thing, talking about things I don’t even remember now. When I was younger I would record my own radio shows for an audience of one. As an only child, I spent a lot of time by myself. For me, I feel like I’ve always been a storyteller of sorts. Maybe some writers do have these epiphanies in which the idea of writing clearly arrives to them. Pitchaya Sudbanthad: People often ask the origin story question, and I think it’s difficult for many writers to pinpoint any exact time. Mina Seçkin: When did you start writing? Do you feel like there was a particular moment in your life when you considered yourself a writer? Pitchaya Sudbanthad is a remarkable talent, and I’m excited for readers to dive into a novel as rich, complex, and accomplished as Bangkok Wakes to Rain. As I’m attempting to finish my own first novel, Sudbanthad’s advice on how emerging writers can power through such a task stays humming-soothingly, inspirationally-in my head. There was so much more I wanted to discuss, as Sudbanthad’s writing is endlessly multi-layered, emotionally complex, and wildly inspiring.
What will happen to cities and homes as the climate changes? Is there space for collective resilience? Can art speak to this resilience? Pitchaya and I spoke about the impact of place on a writer, Western orientalist narratives, and how we take cities for granted in the current reality of climate change. Throughout Bangkok Wakes to Rain, Sudbanthad makes you question the sanctity of place in an increasingly urgent manner. And when rainfall escalates, the city is flooded, new houses stand on stilts, and only the tips of submerged skyscrapers and pagodas poke out over the water. Characters walk in and out of chapters, sometimes decades later, and Bangkok-a character in and of itself-remains resilient in the face of historical and environmental changes the old Sino-colonial mansion at the center of Bangkok Wakes to Rain is not knocked down-rather, a luxury high-rise is built around it. Spanning several decades, numerous viewpoints, love stories, family spats, violent political protests, and drastic environmental changes, Bangkok Wakes to Rain is a stunning novel, crafted with an entirely unique narrative structure. An Interview with Pitchaya Sudbanthad In his powerful debut novel, Bangkok Wakes to Rain, Pitchaya Sudbanthad creates a timeless portrait of a city.
0 kommentar(er)
